Data storage devices such as disc drives are commonly used in work stations, personal computers, portable computers and other computing systems to store large amounts of data in a form that can be readily available to a user. A disc drive includes a head disc assembly that is coupled to a printed circuit board assembly. The head disc assembly includes a variety of components. The components include one or more discs having data storage surfaces. The disc(s) are mounted on a spindle motor that causes the disc(s) to spin and the data storage surfaces of the disc(s) to pass under respective disc head sliders. The sliders carry transducers, which write information to and read information from the data surfaces of the discs.
With the rapid increase in areal density of data storage media, continued demand exists for disc drives having a small size suitable for use in handheld or portable devices, such as communication devices (e.g. cell phones), audio devices (e.g. digital music players), computing machines (e.g. personal data assistants), video recorders (e.g. digital cameras) and other small consumer applications. Small sized disc drives for use with these types of consumer products should be capable of withstanding accidental drops and high operating shock and vibration levels. Other devices such as hybrid drives and solid state drives may need similar shock-withstanding capabilities.